Tag: accessibility

Recently I
presented at the 44th annual ICCHE conference
on the work of our student accessibility workers, and it seems fitting to share
some of the results of this work with UIS faculty and staff. UIS made a bold statement
by hiring a team
of student workers to assist my
office with the task of institutional accessibility in
February 2018. By mid-March four students were hired, and began their training.
The student worker team launched the accessibility
work in late March.

In Spring
2018, College Deans provided priority class lists for accessibility
work. Faculty received communication through
my office regarding
how to submit files and students began work.
After much monitoring, shuffling, and
training on the spot for difficult files, together, we all learned ways
to more fully provide accessibility services to all of our students. Many
faculty worked with me to build
opportunities for future
students to have accessible files. Most of our work focused on making Word, PowerPoint,
and PDFs accessible for screen reader users. We also provided captions for
videos. Over this semester the Accessibility Team was able to complete:

42 classes

919 total files

498 Word
files – 2,018 total pages

228 PDF
files – 4,921 total pages

94
PowerPoint files – 2,376 total slides

56 Videos –
16:14:08 total run time

43 assorted
files

Over the summer faculty continued to work on accessibility issues, and the library expanded their accessibility work with our office, as well. As I mentioned at the end of last semester the library
began making their scanned course reserves accessible. This has
been a major move as it allows faculty to have one place to contact to get
their materials scanned, made accessible, and posted for online access.

In Fall 2018, we brought 2 new student workers on board which required additional training. We also were able to add to our service offerings a bit. As discussed last year, audio descriptions are required for videos. We are now adding audio descriptions where possible, and making notes of the need for audio descriptions when not possible. The Team is also providing transcripts along with the caption files. Over this semester The Accessibility Team was able to complete:

50 classes

840 total files

325 PDF
files – 5,256 total pages

209 Word
files – 683 total pages

183
PowerPoint files – 5,168 total pages

119 Videos –
58:17:15 total run time

4 assorted
files

We had a
substantial decrease in the Word files received which is
credited to all of the faculty who attended
workshops, reached out, or came to COLRS for one-on-one consultations with
the Accessibility office within the last
year. To faculty who are making accessibility of digital documents
for their students a priority, thank you!

And in this semester, along with continuing work on courses, we’ve been doing work for some of the OER fellows to make the materials they are adopting or writing accessible for all users. These efforts have pushed the skills of the student workers to a new level. The Accessibility Team has now made an entire textbook accessible for one of the OER faculty fellows teams. So thanks for the excellent effort: Alana, Brandon, Daniela, and Kayla.

In the past we have looked at how to use the accessibility checker built into Word. It highlights issues and explains how to fix them. We’ve also looked at how tables should be laid out properly. A common issue with tables – that PC users of Word using the accessibility checker will see – is that the table must have alternative text and a specified header row in order to be considered accessible. Alternative text for a table should usually list the items in the header row. With a syllabus, for example, this might be something like week, reading, and due date. It gives a screen reader user an idea of what is in the table. Specifying the header row allows a screen reader user to know that the top row lists the type of information which will appear in the following rows. For example: One, Two, and Three corresponding to Week One, Week Two, and Week Three.

However, if you are creating Word files on a Mac, these issues will not be highlighted. So, if you are a Mac user and have tables in your Word documents there are two things you could do:

Open those files in Word on a PC, run the accessibility checker, and fix them.

On the Mac you can “control-click” on the table and open the table properties. In table properties, click on the Row tab and make sure “repeat as header row at the top of each page” is checked. Then click on the Alt-text tab, enter the alt-text in the description box, and finally, click “ok”. (For PC users, follow these same steps, but right click on the table to get to table properties)

MS Excel: Accessibility Best Practices

Tables: Use Tables Titles and Avoid Blank Rows and Columns

One very common mistake is leaving column A blank (because it makes it look like a margin).

Place table titles in the first column (A) so screen readers can find them easily.

If the table does not display the full text, merge cells and center them by selecting the Home tab, then clicking on Merge & Center. Be sure to keep the original text in the first column.

It’s OK to have merged cells in titles, but do not merge cells in the data part of the table.

Resize your rows and columns to provide spacing that makes the table readable (rather than using

blanks to create your spacing).

If you have two or more tables on the same worksheet, leave a single blank row between each

table. You can resize the blank row to create a space that is visually appealing.

Add an “End of Table” message in the row after the last row of a data table row. The text can be in white against a white background.

Table Cell Range and Header Cells: Define the Regions

You can use the Names feature to name a range of cells so that screen readers voice the names of header cells along with the value of each cell.

Select the top-left cell in your table. Don’t count the titles, but do count all row and column headers as part of your table.

Go to the Formulas tab in the Ribbon, and choose Name Manager in the Defined Names Choose New in the top left corner.

A new dialog box opens. In the Name field, type TitleRegion then put a 1 if this is the first table on your worksheet, then a period, then the range of cells in your table from top left to bottom right (with a period in between), then another period, then the worksheet number. For example, your Title code might look like this:

TitleRegion1.a2.g7.2

Click OK and Close.

Images: Use Alt Text for Informative Images

Insert the image, then right-click and choose Size and Properties.

In the Size and Properties dialog box, choose the Alt Text Type in a brief description with

HTML: Accessibility Best Practices

Headings: Use Properly Formatted Headings to Structure Page Content

Rationale: Headings help to organize content, making it easier for everyone to read. Headings are also a primary way for people using screen reading software to navigate a page of text.

Lists: Use Ordered/Unordered Lists to Group Related Items

Rationale: Logical organization of content is conveyed to all users, along with other useful information for assistive technology users about the number of items listed. Mobile users also benefit as information is presented as it is meant to be presented.

Rationale: Screen readers linearize content and read tables from left to right, top to bottom, one cell at a time. If cells are split or merged, it can throw the reading order off and make the table difficult to comprehend by users who are blind and using a screen reader to navigate.

Images: Use Alt Text for Informative Images

Rationale: Alt text is read by a screen reader. It should adequately describe what is displayed and its purpose. This allows screen reader users to benefit from information conveyed by the image, even if they cannot see it.

Links: Use Meaningful Text for Links

Rationale: Headings help to organize content, making it easier for everyone to read. Headings are also a primary way for people using screen reading software to navigate a page of text.

Keyboard: Check Keyboard Access

Rationale: Users with visual and mobility impairments rely on the keyboard, rather than a mouse, to access and navigate online content. If content is not keyboard accessible, it restricts who can learn from that content.

Color: Use Sufficient Color Contrast

Rationale: Without sufficient color contrast between font and background, people who are color blind and low vision may not perceive the content. Additionally, using color alone to convey meaning (e.g., items in red indicate a deficit) excludes color blind or blind users. To check color contrast, use the Paciello Group’s Color Contrast Analyzer: https://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastanalyser/

Video/Audio: Provide Captioning for Video and Text Transcripts for Audio

Rationale: Captions are essential for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, but they also benefit non-native speakers, those unfamiliar with the vocabulary, and viewers with some learning disabilities or in a noisy environment. Audio transcripts are essential for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, but also assist others who can easily read or search the transcripts.

Math: Write Math and Science Equations Accessibly

Rationale: For web pages, use an equation editor that outputs MathML, a markup language that allows equations to be stored as structured text that is compatible with many assistive technologies. With screen readers, for example, blind users can navigate and review parts of an equation, such as the top portion of a complex fraction. For more information on MathML, see the W3C Math guide: https://www.w3.org/Math/.

Insert Charts and Graphs with Data Tables

Add values to the PowerPoint datasheet by selecting a cell and typing in the value. Remember to add labels for the rows and columns. Close the datasheet window by selecting ESC from your keyboard.

Display the corresponding data table. For Office 2010, select the chart, select Layout from the chart tools menu, and choose Show data table from the Data Table For Office 2016, use the Add Chart Element from the Design tab to choose a layout that displays the data table with the chart (e.g., Data Table > With Legend Keys).